154 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



to m}' forcnum to cover the one-half of this plot with (his soil, and 

 leave the other half without any application, and if you will go there 

 I will show you a plot on which the inocculated part is thoroughly 

 green. 



The seed in both plots was supposed to have been inocculated, 

 showing two things: One was that the inocculation in the same way 

 down at the Agricultural Department had not been efficacious, and 

 the other is that there is a great deal in the manner of the inoccula- 

 tion of the soil in the growing of these leguminous plants and in 

 the particular kind of germs needed for the growth of clover. 



I want you to go over and see my home anyway, when you go up 

 there, and I want you to see that experiment as a demonstration of 

 the fact that there are other things that prevent the growth of clover 

 besides acidity in the soil. 



A Member: There is an article in the Century Magazine this month 

 bearing upon this subject which I think is well w^orth reading. 



A Member: Does burned bone lose any phosphoric acid by burning? 



The answer was, no. 



"Is the use of sludge acid a detriment to phosphate on which it is 

 used?" 



Answer. Ordinarily, I should say not. Sludge acid is acid used 

 in purifying crude oil, and ordinarily I do not believe it would con- 

 tain anything injurious. 



A Member: Of what are clover roots composed, and what are they 

 worth per ton as fertilizers? 



PKOF. McDowell : I would not undertake to answer that ques- 

 tion as to their value jjer ton as fertilizers, nor could I give the 

 composition without referring to tables containing same. They are 

 composed of the same elements mentioned as constituting all plants; 

 clover roots would probably be found to contain considerable quan- 

 tities of potash, but as to actual amounts, I could not state that. 



A. Member: Prof. E. B. Voorhees, of New Jersey, gives many 

 formulas for home mixtures; will you give the analysis of this one 

 and the commercial value: ''One hundred pounds nitrate of soda, one 

 hundred pounds muriate of potash, two hundred pounds of salt, two 

 hundred pounds of steamed bone and two hundred pounds of gyp- 

 sum." 



PEOF. McDowell : Of course the nitrate of soda, the muriate 

 of potash and steamed bone are the only materials that contain fer- 

 tilizer ingredients. One hundred pounds of nitrate of soda would 

 contain, on an average, sixteen pounds of nitrogen, and valued at the 

 present time about 10 cents per pound, would be $1.60 for the nitro- 



